Chapter 13 Flashcards
Social Psychology
social psychology
study of how people influence others’ behavior, beliefs, and attitudes
need-to-belong theory
“When we’re deprived of social contact for a considerable length of time, we usually become lonely. According to psycholo-gists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary’s (1995) need-to-belong theory, we humans have a bio-logically based need for interpersonal connections”
social comparison theory
theory that states we seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others
collective delusions
in which many people simultaneously become convinced of bizarre things that are false.
urban legends
false stories repeated so many times that people believe them to be true
social disruption
a worsening of performance in the presence of others occurs on tasks we find difficult.
social facilitation
enhancement of performance brought about by the presence of others
attribution
process of assigning causes to behavior
fundamental attribution error
tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional (a person’s inherent qualities of mind and characteR) influences on other people’s behavior
dispositional influences
enduring characteristics, such as personality traits, attitudes, and intelligence
situational influences
we attribute too little of peoples behavior to what’s going on around them.
conformity
tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure
deindividuation
tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identities”
groupthink
emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking
viewpoint diversity
valuing a range of different perspectives
group polarization
tendency of group discussion to strengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members
cult
group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single individual or cause
Inoculation effect
approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective might be correct and then debunking these reasons
obedience
adherence to instructions from those of higher authority
conceptual replication
refers to a replication using a somewhat different method than used in the original study
prosocial behavior
behavior intended to help others
pluralistic ignorance
Error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things as we do
diffusion of responsibility
reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others
enlightenment effect
learning about psychological research can change real-world behavior for the better
social loafing
phenomenon whereby individuals become less productive in groups
self-perception theory
theory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors
aggression
behavior intended to harm others, either verbally or physically (or both)
relational aggression
form of indirect aggression prevalent in girls, involving spreading rumors, gossiping, and using nonverbal putdowns for the purpose of social manipulation”
self-monitoring
personality trait that assesses the extent to which people’s behavior reflects their true feelings and attitudes
attitude
belief that includes an emotional component
recognition heuristic
makes us more likely to believe something we’ve heard many times
dissonance
•a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements
Cognitive dissonance
unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs
External Justification
is when we search around to find external justification for the tensions we are experiencing (cognitive dissonance). For example, believing it is all right to tell a harmless lie to avoid hurting a persons feelings. … It is when we change the direction of our statements, thus reducing dissonance.
self-perception theory
heory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors
impression management theory
theory that we don’t really change our attitudes, but report that we have so that our behaviors appear consistent with our attitudes
dual process model (of persuasion)
the two alternative pathways in persuading others
- central route(thinking of the information before thinking of making the decision
- peripheral route (we look at surface aspects of thinking to make a decision)
foot-in-the-door technique
persuasive technique involving making a small request before making a bigger one
door-in-the-face technique
persuasive technique involving making an unreasonably large request before making the small request we’re hoping to have granted
low-ball technique
persuasive technique in which the seller of a product starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add-on costs once the customer has agreed to purchase the product
“but you are free” technique
persuasive technique in which we convince someone to perform a favor for us by telling them that they are free not to do it
prejudice
the drawing of negative conclusions about a person, group of people, or situation prior to evaluating the evidence
implicit prejudice
unfounded negative belief of which we’re unaware regarding the characteristics of an out-group
cognitive misers
we strive to conserve precious mental energy by simplifying reality.
jigsaw classroom
educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project
adaptive conservatism
evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different”
in-group bias
tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group
out-group homogeneity
tendency to view all individuals outside our group as highly similar
discrimination
negative behavior toward members of out-groups
scapegoat hypothesis
claim that prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes
just-world hypothesis
claim that our attributions and behaviors are shaped by a deep-seated assumption that the world is fair and all things happen for a reason
implicit prejudice
biases which we are unaware of
explicit prejudice
unfounded negative belief of which we’re aware regarding the characteristics of an out-group
jigsaw classroom
educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project”
